Chapter 48
I felt a bead of sweat form on my forehead and trickle down, soaking the corner of my eye.
It might be a drug that inflicts terrible pain. It might even be a deadly poison.
Despite being unable to shake those suspicions, Talia parted her lips.
He tilted the vial, pouring the bitter liquid into her mouth. When she reflexively turned her head away with a dry cough, he gripped her chin and pressed the vial against her lips once more.
Talia looked up at him, helplessly swallowing the liquid seeping into her throat.
She could see the light flickering over his pale eyes, which looked as though they were shrouded behind a veil. Talia tried to find some remnant of emotion within those inorganic eyes, but soon her limbs went limp.
She strained her eyes, fighting with everything she had to keep from losing consciousness, but her mind grew increasingly hazy and her vision blurred rapidly.
After a few slow blinks, Talia sank into a death-like silence.
She had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like a few seconds, yet also like a lifetime.
Staring blankly into the air, Talia frowned at the rhythmic sound of galloping hooves and the rattling of wheels. As her vision, which had been as foggy as a mist, gradually cleared, the interior of a dim carriage came into view.
For a moment, she wondered if it had all been a dream. The appearance of the terrifying monsters, Barkas running off to save Aila while leaving her behind, the near-death experience of being snatched by a Wyvern—perhaps it had all been a nightmare from the previous night.
As if to refute that thought, an intense pain radiated from her knees up to her waist.
Talia bit her lower lip and clutched her knees, which felt as if they were burning.
She felt the texture of rough cloth beneath her thin chemise. Fumbling over it with her fingertips, Talia’s eyes widened as she realized her entire left leg was wrapped in thick bandages.
Lifting the hem of her skirt, she saw patches of cloth stained with blood and fluid clinging to her thigh and side.
After touching them with trembling hands, Talia pulled her skirt back down and pushed herself up.
The spacious carriage was lined with thick, cotton-filled padding, and cushions and summer quilts were strewn about in a messy tangle.
She surveyed them blankly before grabbing the handle installed on the wall and laboriously pulling herself up. However, her legs wouldn’t obey her, making it difficult to stand.
Talia tried to straighten her legs, which felt as heavy as lead, but the agonizing pain shooting up her spine forced her to slump back down with a heavy thud. A scream escaped her lips at the piercing pain that racked her entire body.
“Are you alright?!”
As if hearing the sound, the carriage came to a sudden halt, and the door swung wide open.
Talia squinted up at the man standing against the light. An Imperial Knight, his already messy hair even more disheveled than usual, looked down at her with a worried gaze.
He climbed into the carriage and rummaged through a small box in the corner.
“The pain is severe, isn’t it? The healer prepared some painkillers. If you drink this…”
“Why… why wasn’t healing magic cast on my body?”
The man flinched and turned his head at her accusatory question.
Talia pulled the sheet toward her, casting a wary glance at him.
“Did my brother order you not to treat me?”
“N-no, it’s nothing like that.”
The man waved his hands frantically.
“The healer set the bones and closed some of the wounds as an emergency measure… but Your Highness’s injuries were so severe that they couldn’t be treated all at once. We were told it would be better for your prognosis to leave it to the professional healers at the Imperial Palace…”
Talia glared at the hesitating man with distrust before lowering her gaze to her leg.
Vaguely, she recalled a large rock crushing her knee and thigh. Certainly, if the wound had been closed just like that, she might have lost the use of her leg forever. While grudgingly acknowledging that fact, Talia did not stop complaining.
“So, you’re telling me to stay in this state until we reach the Imperial Palace?”
“It must be painful, but please bear with it just a little longer. We plan to travel to Gillian via the fastest route possible.”
Talia watched him with narrowed eyes before turning her gaze out the window.
She could see knights lined up in a long column across the vast plains under the soft sunlight. Within that sight, Talia found herself unconsciously searching for ash-blonde hair; she shuddered at her own behavior and pulled the curtains tightly shut. Just moving for a moment had brought on a wave of deep exhaustion.
“I’m surprised my brother accepted the proposal to return to the Imperial Palace.”
“A significant number of people died in the Wyvern attack. He couldn’t very well openly oppose the argument that we must return as soon as possible, if only to hold their funerals.”
Startled by the unexpectedly cynical response, she looked back at him. The knight, realizing the sarcasm in his tone belatedly, hurriedly changed the subject.
“More importantly, you look pale. Please take the medicine first.”
The man held out the cap of a medicine bottle toward her face. Talia stared at it for a moment before waving a hand dismissively as if it were a nuisance.
“I don’t need it, so take it out. I need to rest.”
“…If you don’t trust me, I will call Lord Siekan.”
Talia, who was lying down on the bed, looked at him with a hardened face.
For a second, her heart sank as if she had been caught off guard. Masking it with a cold sneer on her lips, Talia snapped back chillingly.
“Do I look like I trust that man?”
“But Your Highness, to him, you…”
“I don’t trust anyone.”
Talia cut him off fiercely. Then, she added, spitting out each word to his irritatingly honest face.
“Especially not that man.”
“…”
“So stop talking out of turn and get lost.”
The man’s lips flickered as if he wanted to say more, but he let out a small sigh and stepped outside.
A moment later, the stationary carriage began to move again.
Talia pulled the thin summer quilt up to her shoulders. The pain that had subsided for a moment flared up again, bringing a sensation like her skin was sizzling. Tossing and turning while swallowing groans, Talia squeezed her eyes shut as if to escape the agony.
By sunset, a plump mage arrived to cast recovery magic.
Talia silently accepted his touch. The thought of being touched by someone else was dreadful, but she no longer had the energy to refuse.
“I will light an incense candle to dull your senses. The pain will subside considerably.”
As if he had heard that she had refused the medicine, the mage placed a small censer at the entrance and lit it.
The thick air filled the carriage in an instant. Talia, who was about to yell at him not to do anything unnecessary, felt her taut nerves gradually loosen and relaxed her shoulders.
The bone-deep pain slowly subsided, and her consciousness blurred. It seemed he had burned herbs with a sedative effect.
She welcomed the encroaching drowsiness. However, her sleep did not last long. Before long, the pain began to intensify again.
Waking with a groan, Talia struggled to lift her eyelids. It seemed she would have to call the mage and instruct him to light more incense.
She was laboriously pushing herself up while rubbing her throbbing head when, suddenly, her breath hitched.
Talia scanned the deep darkness with dilated pupils.
She didn’t know what had startled her.
